Committee

[AnonyMouse_4869]

Hello, I know i'm not a nursery or school but hope you might be able to enlighten me.

I work at a committee run holiday club. At our meeting on Thurs i was told that we are supposed to have 5 members on our committee. We currently have 2!!

Does anyone know how long a provision can run with less members than they are supposed to have?

I was told that unless we don't get some parents on the committee soon we will have to close, and i don't want to do that.

Also, any fantastic ideas for recruiting parents onto a committee would be great!!

 

laura x

[AnonyMouse_1027]

not sure but you must have a constitution somewhere that would enlighten you...

[AnonyMouse_51]

Have an open meeting - invite all parents and tell them it in in their interest to attend as the group is in danger of folding - explain what you need, and how many to come forward... best done if all parents who come up sat in ciricle and are looking at one another...

 

When you have told them worse scenerio... ask what they can do to help and sit back... the silence is deadly.

 

After a minute or two, get one of the current committee members to say, I am prepared to help if... 4 more people come forward.... then hopefully a discussion may occur.

 

If all else fells - tell them all that you need a committee, and you are proposing that everyone in the room, is now on it, and that you will be in touch with how they can help shortly. Anyone with an objective to speak up now - and vote them all in.

 

If they don't like to say yes.... they also often don't like to be the first to say NO - it worked for ME!

[AnonyMouse_3975]

Hi ,

My setting is a committee run playgroup and we have the problem every year when the old committee moves on. According to ur constituion we have to have a minimum of 5 committee members , three officers - Chair, Secretary and Treasurer and a further two. Once again this year we are forced to send out a letter to the efectthat we will have to close if more people dont come froward - it usally works but I really don't like to have to use this tactic. To change to running it myself is too costly. Last year we ended up with 10 committee members, but this dwindled once again to five. A few parents said they joined the committee because they didn't want us to close.

 

Good Luck.

[Guest]

Maybe it would be useful to say why the preschool may close without a comittee, ie: Registered charity, not your rules but the rule of the Charity commision. As well as closing the current committee would be liable to redundancy pay for all existing staff should it close.

 

Sometimes it is the unknown that stops volunteers volunteering. A short leaflet explaining what being a committee member involves in terms of time and responsibility and benefits to the committee members ie: good on CV etc might also help. ( before it gets too bad)

 

I like Puddleducks "assertive" method

 

peggy

[AnonyMouse_3735]

been away hence late reply...

 

I always send letter with the why we would close, relevant bits from consitiution, and the need for all to attend or we will not be open next day!!!! seems to work for attending... tehn I did puddleducks assertive method at the meeting and had a committee which while not very active did cover most of the needs of the group.

 

we also stressed at this meeting that the more there were on the committee the less meetings they may need to attnd, so long as 5 attended each one that was Ok. This helped and they arranged between themselves for 5 to attend each meeting.

 

So long as they feel that they are beoing supported and helped by someone who actually knows what to do they are happy to do jobs allocated to them. Most of them will never have been on a committee or have any idea on what is expected, but if asked to do a job for you will happily help out. fear of the unknown and being in a group really is a hurdle for some.

 

Inge

[Guest]

Sorry for late reply to your dilema i have been away

 

As far as I am aware you do need to have the full quota of members to stay open. You should have three officers, Chairman, Secretary & Treasurer. Your other Committe members should be either equal or more to the number of officers, so you need a minimum of six members! I think what everyone else has suggested are really good ideas, send a letter out to all parents and hold an open event, also speak to some of the parents when they are dropping their children off and picking them up, I am sure that you ill get some to help once they know the situation. Have a look at your constitution there are always loop holes that you can get round. Good luck

[Guest]

Is there anyone out there who DOESN'T have committee issues?

We were graded down on our Ofsted inspection last week purely because the committee chair hadn't sent the DC2 forms back to Ofsted (IN OCTOBER!!!)

It is such a huge responsibility and as much as we try to inform and even educate our volunteer (and let's not forget that point, they are volunteer) committee, they never seem to realise the implications of what they do (or more often, don't do!)

We asked before Easter for a level 3 as we have taken on 2 children requiring 1-1 and are strugling to keep our staff ratio up. Well, here we are approaching half term and the ad only went out last week! The stock answer is always ' Oh mate, I thought XYZ was doing it'

 

It's such a dilemma as 'legally' the committee employ us and should manage the setting but in some ways it would be better to just have them there in name and do it all ourselves unpaid! After all, that's what often ends up happening....

 

Sorry, gripe over.

[AnonyMouse_3975]

We had the same problem since September last year although a person has now been recruited but I was not part of the recrutiment selection.

I suddenly panicked begining of last term when I asked for the copy of insurance certificate - I was told it was my job - I am employed by the committee so I can't write the cheques - no renewal of insurance had been done!!! We were thankfully covered but only just - I could have gone on running with NO insurance.

 

I am expected to do all sorts of things - collect fees - but the one thing I really think I should be involved in I am not always, recrutiment, I am now struggling with 3 new staff members who's CRB checks have not come through and it is beginging to get to the other staff as they are relied on to take the children to the toilet all the time. The selection panel ommitteed to ask haow curent their CRB were and that they would need to do one. Ofsted said I should be involved!!

Committee can be wonderful but sometimes they wear my patience!!

 

Sorry for moaning.

 

Smiles

[AnonyMouse_1027]

quite agree pandamonium and smilies

[Guest]

Is there anyone out there who DOESN'T have committee issues?

We were graded down on our Ofsted inspection last week purely because the committee chair hadn't sent the DC2 forms back to Ofsted (IN OCTOBER!!!)

It is such a huge responsibility and as much as we try to inform and even educate our volunteer (and let's not forget that point, they are volunteer) committee, they never seem to realise the implications of what they do (or more often, don't do!)

We asked before Easter for a level 3 as we have taken on 2 children requiring 1-1 and are strugling to keep our staff ratio up. Well, here we are approaching half term and the ad only went out last week! The stock answer is always ' Oh mate, I thought XYZ was doing it'

 

It's such a dilemma as 'legally' the committee employ us and should manage the setting but in some ways it would be better to just have them there in name and do it all ourselves unpaid! After all, that's what often ends up happening....

 

Sorry, gripe over.

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[Guest]

57189[/snapback]

 

 

Hi

We have been having the same problem, we sent our DC2's off just before christmas for our committee members and none have come back, we haven't heard anything.

[Guest JPH]

Hi

We have been having the same problem, we sent our DC2's off just before christmas for our committee members and none have come back, we haven't heard anything.

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We have exactly the same problem - the DC2s for the committee were sent off at the beginning of the year, with nothing having happened since. I did phone Ofsted, who promised to sort it out, but still nothing happened. Second phone call I was advised to put the problem in writing - still awaiting a reply. Most of the committee will be leaving in July, as their children go off to school.....

[AnonyMouse_3735]

ok... Ofsted now perhaps a new thread but keep pushing and put it all in writing with recorded delivery of you can.

 

they are having problems with thier new reorganisation so letters etc which is what I was told 2 weeks ago when I checked about our DC2 sent in November. So far one committee member cleared!! One awaiting Social services checks, one just been sent CRB form and other 2 supposed to have been sent CRb forms but not recieved them. This is all from DC2s sent at the same time!!

 

I also recieved a letter asking for me to return my forms and that i needed CRB & a suitable person interview with Ofsted. On replying by letter (because the phone number they gave me to a London Office was constantly engaged- 2 days I tried!) that i understood the need etc and if they sent me the CRB forms I would happily return them, as well as questioning why I was not given the appropriate interview during the last 3 Ofsted inspections they eventually rang and told me I did not need any of it yet but may in future as I was checked by SServices.

 

I really do not think they can cope with it all!

 

I await with bated b5eath the next instalment as I contact to ask about the CRB forms suppossidly sent!

 

 

Inge